Calls Between Families
by QueenofWierd
Summary: A lot can happen in six weeks and a lot of phone calls can be made, especially when you've been gone from Night Vale all that time. This fic covers the time that occurred in-between chapters 24 and 25 of Notes From A Scientist. Please read the first 24 chapters from that story before reading this or nothing will make sense.
1. Chapter 1

I don't think anyone will check out this story before Notes From A Scientist, but if you're one of those unlucky few, please read ch. 1-24 of that first otherwise this will make no sense whatsoever. Read it yet? Good. Time for week one.

* * *

"Carlito, not that I'm not glad to hear from you, but why are you calling so early in the morning? Don't you have your job to go to?"

"That's why I'm calling, Mamá. Next week is the meeting with the board – the one where I hafta go and ask for more funding – and I'm coming to Eureka early. Today, actually."

"Excellent! You're coming home, right?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'll have time to visit."

"No – I mean you're going to stay at home while you're in Eureka."

"Oh. I'm just staying in town for a week or so. I can just rent a hotel ro –"

"Nonsense! You're coming home. And don't give me any of that talk about being a burden. You're mi hijo – you're never a burden. Not to mention you'll be giving a lonely old woman some company."

"You? Old?"

"Flattery'll get you nowhere. Call me when you get close, okay?"

"I will, Mamá. Te amo."

"Te amo."

XxXx

"Dr. Munoz."

"Hey, Fearless Leader, it's Lucy. Did you know all Hell was gonna break loose today or was your leaving before this town went nutso a complete coincidence? 'Cause I wouldn't blame you if it was the former."

"No, I had no idea. …Why, what's going on?"

"Starting about an hour after you left, everyone's been telling the truth. You ask anyone a question and they can't lie to you. Even in a place as far from normal as possible, this isn't a good thing. Random people are slapping each other, arguing, getting together, etc. It's a madhouse here."

"Wow. Any ideas as to why this is happening?"

"Not yet. We're also not sure if your boyfriend's immune or not – he's acting the same as always."

"How many times to I have to tell you he's not my boyfriend?"

"As many as there are drops of water in de Nile."

"Lucy –"

"Gotta go! Think Sam's trying to get my attention. Talk to you later, Carlos!"

XxXx

"I'm almost to Eureka, Mamá. The director's gonna drop off Dr. Vorpal first and then take me home. Should be there in twenty minutes."

"That's nice of him. I'll see you soon, but before I forget – when's your boyfriend coming up?"

"See you – wait, what? I don't have a boyfriend."

"What about – what was his name? – that radio announcer that always talks about you? It seemed like you really admired him."

"His name's Cecil. And while he _is_ a…nice guy, he _isn't_ my boyfriend."

"Not yet."

"Mamá!"

"I just want mi hijos to be as happy as they can possibly be, and the way you talk about this Cecil, well, it seems like he'd make you happy. You certainly couldn't stop smiling at Christmas when you were talking about him."

"Yeah, and Tory couldn't stop teasing me about it. I'll see you soon. Te amo."

"I can't wait to see you, Carlito. Te amo."

XxXx

"Dr. Green."

"Hey Lucy, it's Carlos. Just wanted to let you know that the meeting with the board's over."

"You told 'em we want to stay, right?"

"Of course. Even though I'm not exactly sure _why_ we do."

"'Cause it's an interesting place, we've barely scratched the surface of what we can learn, and because our leader – that's you by the way – has an enormous crush on the local radio broadcaster."

"Okay, you have some good points."

"Thank y – Wait, what did you just say?"

"…That you have some good points. Why?"

"One of my points is that you have a crush on Cecil and you didn't deny it. You heard that one, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"So you're admitting you have a crush on him?"

"Yeah."

"You, Dr. Carlos Munoz, have a crush on Night Vale's main radio broadcaster, Cecil Baldwin."

"_Yes_, Lucy. Anything else you'd like to ask about my love life or are you done?"

"Think I'm done. There's no point in asking if you're dating him yet because if that were true, Cecil wouldn't shut up about it. He spent most of one broadcast talking about how you had _finally_ called him on his home phone."

"Does this mean you'll stop calling him my boyfriend?"

"No_p_e. Just 'cause he isn't your boyfriend doesn't mean I can't tease you about how you'd want him to be."

"Didn't think so. Look, I should probably go. Director Deacon's gonna stop by soon to show me to the lab I'm gonna use while I'm here."

"Can't take a mini vacation, huh? Talk to you later, Carlos."

"Bye."


	2. Chapter 2

"Dr. Munoz."

"Hi, it's Sam. I was wondering if Grace's condition had changed at all yet – if she's remembered anything."

"Not yet. They've got as many brain-focused scientists working with her as they can. Even Dr. Carter's been pitching in. You're welcome to come visit her if you'd like."

"N-No. She wouldn't even remember me – what'd be the point?"

"…You're sure?"

"Yeah. Just let me know if anything changes, please."

"Don't worry, I will. Talk to you later."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

XxXx

"Dr. Green."

"Got a letter from the board today."

"And? What does it say?"

"It says…"

"Yes?"

"That they…"

"Uh-huh?"

"Have decided…"

"Get to the point, Carlos!"

"What? I'm reading as fast as I can."

"Sure you are. Is this payback for teasing you about Cecil?"

"Don't know what you're talking about. Where was I?"

"'Have decided'."

"Right. Have decided…to grant the research team led by Dr. Carlos Munoz another year's funding."

"Yes! We're staying!"

"I know – it's great, isn't it?"

"Definitely. So now that that's over with, when are you coming back?"

"Not for over a week. It's my brother's birthday in a couple days. Instead of going to Night Vale and coming back, I'm just going to stay here."  
"You're sure? It's pretty weird not having you around. Plus, Cecil's calling, like, every other day asking when you're getting back."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Saves on gas. Can you tell him we're staying another year? That should cheer him up."

"I can do that, oh Fearless Leader, but you could just call him yourself."

"Call him? But –"

"Too hard without the excuse of something science-y?"

"Well…"

"Don't worry, I'll tell Cecil next time he calls. See you in a little over a week."

"Thanks. See you soon."

XxXx

"You've reached the voicemail of Dr. Carlos Munoz. Please leave your name and a message after the beep."

_"Beep!"_

"Hey, um, it's Cecil. Just wanted to give you a month's heads up on your one-year celebration party. Whenever an outsider stays alive this long we have this ceremony to acknowledge it, and…you get a trophy! I'm planning on making it. The ceremony's in the town hall, exactly a year after you came to Night Vale. Still working on a time – I'll let you know. Uh…hope your trip back home is going well. See you soon!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Dr. Munoz."

"Hey, Carlos, it's Tory. Have you picked up Gabe's cake yet?"

"Have _I_? I thought you were supposed to get it."

"Nooooo, I don't think I did. But regardless of who was supposed to get it, can you? I hafta pick up Cassie from dance practice in ten minutes."

"Sure. The experiment I'm working on has to settle for about an hour anyway."

"You're still working? Thought you'd get some time off since you're not in Night Vale."

"The director said I could do that if I wanted, but I declined. Three weeks without running any experiments would be too weird."

"My brother, the workaholic. Just try not to work too hard, alright?"

"I'll do my best. See you tonight."

"Bye."

XxXx

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cecil, it's –"

"Carlos!"

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long to respond to your message – it was my brother's birthday yesterday and in-between scrambling to set that up and running a few experiments I've barely had time to eat and sleep."

"It's okay. At least you called."

"I have one question though – am I the only one invited? Two of my teammates have been here as long as I have."

"Sure, they can come. Don't know if there's enough supplies to make more trophies, though. We _just_ ran out of octopus ink and the next shipment probably won't get here until December. You know how those octopi farms can get."

"…Actually I don't, but I'm sure that my teammates will appreciate the thought. Thank you and, um, I should be getting back to Night Vale sometime next week. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

XxXx

"Dr. Munoz."

"Heard you called Cecil the other day."

"How did – he mentioned it in his show, didn't he?"

"Ye_p_. Spent a good chunk on how he had left a message on _perfect_ Carlos's phone and how he was _so worried_ when day after day passed without a reply, but then when _you_ called _him_ he was overjoyed. It was kind of cute, actually."

"Dios mío, really? Can't I have one conversation with him that isn't shared with the entire town?"

"What about that one time with the moon?"

"Lucy, that was only because I specifically asked him not to tell everyone. Seems like I'm gonna hafta do that every time we talk."

"Don't worry – eventually he'll get used to you calling and he won't mention it as much."

"So it should happen around the time you stop teasing me about Cecil being my boyfriend, then."

"Once you two start dating, yeah. He should be used to it by then."

"I – you – ugh, whatever. Did you call just to tell me about Cecil, or is something else going on?"

"Yeah – Donna's disappeared."

"As in you can't find her anywhere, or as in she went 'poof' right in front of you?"

"The former. We've looked for her everywhere we could think of and I asked Cecil to get the word out."

"Okay, that's a good start. When'd you realize she was gone?"

"'Bout an hour ago. She was at the graveyard investigating some of those mini tornadoes – they somehow got a bit bigger and flew over there. She was supposed to check in with me then, but never did."

"Weird. Keep me posted and call me as soon as you find her, even if it's in the middle of the night."

"Got it. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

XxXx

"Hellloooo?"

"Um, hi. Who is this?"

"Cassie Chesterton. Do you wanta talk to Tío Carlos? He set his phone down so he could get a snack – he's right in the kitchen."

"Yeah, that would be great. Thank you."

"Tío Carlos! Someone just called your phone! He's on his way. Who're you?"

"Lucy Green. I work with Ca – your tío."

"Cool! Here he is!"

"Thanks, Cassie. So, have you found Donna yet?"

"Sort of."

"'Sort of'?"

"Actually, she found us. Jason, Sam, and I had gone to Big Rico's for dinner – and to take a break from searching – when she walked in the door. She didn't get why we were worried at first cos to her it had only been ten minutes, not a couple of hours."

"What happened?"

"She doesn't really know. Donna said that one second it was morning and the next it was night. She wandered around the graveyard for a while until some guy shone a bright light in her face. Next thing she knew it was day again and her watch said ten minutes went by.

"She tried calling the lab, didn't get a reply, and then headed over to Big Rico's to get something to eat."

"Okay…Does she know what the guy looked like?"

"Beyond tall and grey-haired – no_p_e."

"Not much to go on. First part sounds like Weeping Angels, but as those aren't real – I've got nothing. At least she's alright."

"Yeah, that is good. I'll keep looking into it and let you know if I find anything. Goodbye."

"Bye."


	4. Chapter 4

"Dr. Green."

"Hey, Lucy. Listen, I don't think I'm gonna make it back to Night Vale this week."

"What now?"

"One, there haven't been any volunteers yet to fill out the team. And two, something weird just happened."

"Weird as in…?"

"Remember that day a couple years ago when 99 percent of everyone kept getting dumber and dumber?"

"I was one of 'em, so yeah."

"Well, now the exact opposite is happening. 99 percent of everyone is getting abnormally smart. I'm one of the few that's apparently immune, so I've been recruited to help find a solution. Luckily it's a relatively slow process."

"Even so, you're wasting your time calling me?"

"Thought I should let you know I'd be late getting back, but if you'd rather stay up all night waiting, I can just not say anything next time."

"Fine, fine. You win, Fearless Leader. Now go and help save the day."

"I'll do my best. Goodbye."

"Bye."

XxXx

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mamá. Listen, I'm probably not going to make it home for dinner tonight."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to help figure out why most of the town's getting smarter. Might have to –."

"When was the last time you had a full meal?"

"Um…"

"Carlos Ernesto Munoz, when was your last good meal?"

"Lunch yesterday. I think."

"You're coming home for dinner, then. The town can wait an hour or two while you eat."

"But –."

"If I don't see you pulling into the driveway in the next fifteen minutes, I'm calling the Sheriff and he'll drive you here. Possibly in handcuffs."

"Augh, fine. I'll be there as soon as I can. Te amo."

"Te amo."

XxXx

"Dr. Green."

"Hey, Lucy. Just wanted to let you know that Eureka's back to normal. Well, as normal as it can get – everyone who had been affected has their normal intelligence back."

"Only took you three days. Figure out why you weren't affected?"

"No, not yet. It was pretty random, really. Dr. Donovan, Dr. Tyler, and I were all unaffected, but so were the Sheriff and Dr. Fargo. And a couple others who I didn't really know."

"Is there anything you have in common?"

"I know the five of us have left Eureka within the last year, but I don't know about the others. I'll ask."

"Sounds good. Any ideas on when you're coming back? Your boyfriend's calling every other day to ask."

"He's – No, not yet. There's some open interviews scheduled for next week. If those go well I – along with whoever signs up – should be in Night Vale the week after that."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed. Talk to you soon and see ya in two weeks."

"Goodbye."


	5. Chapter 5

"Dr. Munoz."

"Hi, this is Dr. Karen Hartnell. I was wondering when the interviews to go to Night Vale were. I saw the flyer and wrote down your number and where they were, but kinda forgot to remember _when _they were."

"They start tomorrow at three o'clock. Listen –"

"Thank you! Sorry, you were saying?"

"Oh, I was just going to warn you that Night Vale's pretty dangerous. Three people have died and –"

"One lost her memory. I know. I'm friends with Dr. Vorpal's cousin – I heard that from her. Plus, everyone knew about those who died and…I cut you off again, didn't I? Sorry!"

"It's okay. See you tomorrow around three."

"Bye!"

"Goodbye."

XxXx

"Dr. Munoz."

"This is Dr. John Singer. I'm interested in the interview for the Night Vale research team, but tomorrow's my son's birthday. Could I come in Thursday instead?"

"Sure. Would four PM work? Same place."

"Think so. Thank you."

"You're welcome. How old is your son?"

"Twenty-six. My other son's twenty-two."

"That's great. I hope it goes well."

"Thanks. I'll be there at four on Thursday."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

XxXx

"Dr. Munoz."

"Hey, this is Dr. Jessica Foreman – I'm a few offices down from yours. Anyway, I had a question about the interviews tomorrow."

"Go ahead."

"Okay, if you decide in the interviews that I would qualify to be a part of this Night Vale team, is that a sure thing? I mean, could I back out if I wanted to?"

"You could, but I'd recommend that you only sign up if you really want to go to Night Vale. It's a dangerous place and I don't want anyone risking their lives if they didn't want to be there."

"No, no, no, I _do_ want to go. It's just that my sister was thinking of moving back to Eureka and I promised I'd help her settle in if that were the case. I really would like to go to Night Vale."

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

XxXx

"Dr. Green."

"I think I've got our new team members."

"Yeah? Who are they?"

"No one you'd recognize, I don't think – I didn't really. Anyway, they are…Dr. Karen Hartnell, Dr. John Singer, and Dr. Jessica Foreman."

"Think my dad might've worked with Dr. Singer – name sorta rings a bell. They any good?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but they're all we've got. No one else bothered to show up."

"Really? Can't blame 'em too much cos of the high risks, but…only three? Oh well. You're all coming back next week, right?"

"Weather, transportation, and random Eureka disasters permitting. See you then."

"Bye!"


	6. Chapter 6

Due to a math mistake I made, this is actually the last chapter of CBS. I apologize for that mistake and I hope you enjoyed this story.

* * *

"Dr. Green."

"We're almost back to Night Vale."

"Really? Thank goodness! How do you manage being in charge? I've only been doing it five weeks and I'm exhausted."

"No idea. Sheer luck, I guess."

"Mind giving me your secret rabbit's foot when you leave town next time, then? I would really appreciate it."

"If I had one, I'd be happy to. As it – No, don't turn left yet!"

"Having trouble giving instructions?"

"Yeah. Dr. Hartnell may be cheerful, but she's the worst listener I've ever met. Yes, even worse than Cecil."

"Speaking of, he's going to be glad to hear you made it back in time for that ceremony thing. That's tomorrow, right?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. Don't know what time though – I forgot to ask Cecil when I talked to him last time. He'll probably mention it on-air today or something."

"I'll keep an ear out. Oh, and before I forget, Williams wants us to stop by the bowling alley – he said he had some more evidence."

"Again? How many times have I told him that there's no way a city could fit down there? How many more times do I have to explain it to him? At this point, nothing could get through to him besides me showing him the empty space under whatever lane he claims there's a city beneath. And even then – No, the next left!"

"Whatever works. Think I'll leave you to your direction-giving. Good luck!"

"Thanks. I'm gonna need it. Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

XxXx

"I made it back to Night Vale, Mamá."

"You did? That's great, Carlito. Have you seen that radio host of yours yet?"

"Cecil's not – No, I haven't. I have to give the new personnel a tour, then I have to unpack…There's not much time left today to do anything else. He is hosting a ceremony of some sort tomorrow to celebrate how Lucy, Jason, and I have survived a year in Night Vale. Should see him then."

"That's great! I have to go get some groceries, but I'm sure I'll hear from you soon."

"You will – don't worry. Te amo."

"Te amo."

XxXx

"Dr. Munoz."

"Carlos! Sorry, I – What I meant to say was: The ceremony for you surviving a whole year is going to start at three PM tomorrow. I couldn't schedule a time for it until today as the dwarves refused to negotiate until now. I understand that they have several holidays to celebrate, but putting the negotiation off until the last possible day is a bit rude, don't you think?"

"Uh, sure."

"You'll be able to make it, right?"

"I should. I have to check out the bowling alley first, though. Teddy Williams won't leave my team alone until one of us does a thorough investigation. See you tomorrow, Cecil. Goodbye."

"Bye!"


End file.
